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Okay ladies, today we are gonna talk about what’s going on if you’re feeling capped in 1:1 coaching or 1:1 services, and whether a group offer or group program is actually your next step for your online coaching business. It’s gonna be good, so let’s do this!
Your calendar might be full, you’re trading hours for dollars, and everyone around you is saying scale, scale, scale. And if you know me, you know that I love a good group program.
But the thing is, most Holy Spirit-led online entrepreneurs building an online coaching business don’t need to just go launch a group, and that is not what I teach as a Christian business coach. So today I’m walking you through 3 signs you’re ready, 3 signs you’re not ready yet, and what a group program actually requires.
Why Feeling Capped in 1:1 Coaching Doesn’t Automatically Mean It’s Time for Group
Maybe you’re in more of a service-based online business where you’re realizing you can’t make more money unless you hire more people and really complicate things. I get this, you guys. I owned a photography business for six years, and I serviced people 1:1, spending so much time on sales calls and consultations to book sessions and products.
I got to the point where I was like, ”If I am not literally working more, I’m gonna have a hard time making more money,” or I had to bring in the complication of hiring other people to do the work for me, and none of that was the complication I wanted.
Because I actually did a little bit of that. I had associate wedding photographers who photographed weddings under me and a videographer working for me at one point, and I still kept hitting this block: more people meant more exhaustion and more time in management, right?
So when I built my online business, I knew from the beginning that I wanted a group offer. Now, am I 100% against 1:1? No way! I have 1:1 clients, but they’re also served in my group programs, so it’s truly more of a hybrid.
But being exhausted is not the same thing as being ready. And that’s really what we need to talk about.
3 Signs You’re Actually Ready to Launch a Group Program in Your Online Business
Sign #1 is that you have proof and real results with real clients. Now, I’m not gonna say you 100% have to have this because when I launched my first group offer, I was actually brand new to the digital marketing world.
But ladies, I had worked with clients 1:1, and I knew what I was doing in business so well before I ever came online. I had been unknowingly coaching other women for free, helping them with their marketing, enhancing their messaging, and helping them understand SEO better.
So here’s what I look for when someone asks me whether group coaching for Christian women is her next step:
- You have proof: You’ve helped real people get real results, whether that was in this exact online business or in a past season of work.
- You have a transformation you can repeat: You know you can help someone get results through your teaching, coaching, education, or service.
- You have more demand than you have hours: You’re so full with 1:1 clients that you’re literally capped, and you’re turning money away.
If that last one is you, that is an amazing time to start a group program or bring a group element or tier into what you already offer. You have authority, you have skin in the game, and there’s no doubt that you could help someone!
When I came into the online world, my very first online business was all about helping photographers. I literally took apart my photography business and gave them everything I did day to day. And because I had been sharing all of that for years, I already had authority and brand recognition without even realizing it.
3 Signs You’re Not Ready for Group Yet (And Why That Is Okay)
Okay, now let’s look at the other side where it might not be time to launch a group offer.
Sign #1 that you’re not ready is that you’re just trying to run away from 1:1s. Sometimes, we think our whole life is gonna be better if we just don’t have to do any 1:1 work and we can serve everyone together. And I have to say, running a group is the best and most amazing thing for community, but it doesn’t fix what’s broken.
If you haven’t created good systems for your 1:1 clients, that’s going to be amplified in a group. To run a group well, you have to get really organized and think about moving groups of people through an experience, which is why the systems in your online coaching business matter so much.
Sign #2 is that the transformation is still changing from client to client. If you don’t have a custom framework or system built out yet, and you’ve never actually walked someone through something from start to finish, it’s really important to go through a beta experience or a really organized 1:1 process first.
Sign #3 is that you’re not ready to walk through what it takes to actually fill your group offer. Just because you create a group offer doesn’t mean people are just gonna sign up for it, right?
So ladies, this is where we backtrack a little bit and strengthen the foundation first. Rushing creates pressure, creates confusion, and creates burnout, and I don’t want that for you.
What a Group Program Actually Requires Beyond a Zoom Link and a Facebook Group
Facilitating a group is not just about having a Zoom link, and it’s not just about having a Facebook group or a membership site either… because there’s a lot of architecture behind it.
Here’s what a group actually requires if you want to scale an online coaching business the right way:
- Structure: You need a clear journey your group walks through together from start to finish.
- A repeatable framework: You’re not creating a custom journey for every single person (you can add custom pieces, but that becomes more of a hybrid element).
- A launch rhythm: You need to know how to fill your group initially and then keep a rhythm with how you’re filling it.
Eventually, you can move into more passive ways of filling your program too. But you still have to know how to market and make money on demand, and bring people into that group 24/7.
And if you’ve never helped someone 1:1 in any capacity, and you’re coming into group to get out of the 9-to-5 immediately, you’ve gotta go back to the basics. It doesn’t have to be the exact program you’re launching, but you need to have walked someone through it and build from a solid foundation.
How My Photography Business Taught Me Sales and Group Before I Ever Went Online
My first coaching offer was actually a group program, but it was built for my local community. While I was building relationships, I’d been unknowingly coaching, and I had so much practice in my photography business with sales conversations, delivery, planning, execution, and marketing.
And it carried right over! In fact, in the very last year of my photography business, I feel like I had really mastered the whole group structure with my senior model team.
They were a group of high school seniors, and I had twenty-seven girls on my team that year alone. I brought in $43,000 in 15 days with that senior model team, and I only had to show up one time to photograph multiple girls at once.
And it was fifty billion times better than just getting your senior photos one time! These girls got to be in a Fourth of July photo shoot and a best friend photo shoot… they went on a paddleboarding excursion, and I got to take them to the sand dunes.
I created a whole senior year experience instead of a single-time senior photo session. It was still a hybrid because I worked with the girls 1:1 too, but it made my work about 10% of what it could have been had I serviced everyone individually.
I’m telling you this because you can get so creative when you launch a faith-based group offer. It doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s program.
Group Is a Stewardship Decision, Not a Shortcut to Scaling Your Online Business
At the end of the day, here’s what I want you to take out of this episode. Group is about stewardship, guys, and it’s not necessarily a shortcut.
If you’ve got the proof, a transformation you can repeat, and more demand than hours, it might be time. And if you’re not there yet, that’s not a no forever… it just means we go back and strengthen the foundation first.
If you’re ready to go build this, come to Girl, Let’s Multiply, our free 3-day live workshop on October 26th, 27th, and 28th. We’re gonna talk about building it, selling it, and scaling it, and I can’t wait to see you on October 26th!
EPISODE LINKS
The Sanctuary: Step into The Sanctuary, an online business wellness club for Christian women who want support in their mind, body, spirit, soul, and business while building their calling.
The Productivity Playbook: Steal my 7-Figure online business rhythms & daily operations with The Productivity Playbook. Grow your online revenue in just 20 minutes a day.
Kingdom Seasons Coaching Quiz: Be sure to check out my Kingdom Seasons Coaching Quiz! Get your custom plan & the action steps you need to take in your business right now for a thriving online coaching business.
The Selah Collective: It’s an amazing time to join The Selah Collective! This 12-month group coaching program is for you if you are a faith-filled coach or course creator and are ready to step radiantly into God’s calling for your life by creating, launching, and scaling your high-ticket signature coaching program from $0-100k.
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